TREASURY

Tax Credits

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many recipients of working tax credit and child tax credit there are in Hastings and Rye constituency.

Dawn Primarolo: The average number of in-work families in Hastings and Rye with a 2003–04 finalised tax credit award was 7,300, Of these 6,900 were families with children, while 400 were families without children.

Tax Credits

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of overpayment of tax credits in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of numbers and values of overpayments or underpayments for 2004–05 awards at 5April 2005 will not be available until after family circumstances and incomes for 2004–05 have been finalised.

VAT

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what response he has made to English Heritage's representations for a 5 per cent. value added tax for all building work.

John Healey: I am aware of English Heritage representations and wrote to them on the subject when they raised it with me in 2003. All representations are considered as part of the Budget process.

Creative Innovation

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial incentives he has introduced to encourage innovation in the creative industries.

Des Browne: The R and D tax credit for SMEs was introduced in 2000 to encourage commercial innovation. The scheme was extended to all companies in 2002, and to date nearly £1.4 billion of Government support has been claimed.

New Deal and Welfare to Work

Dai Havard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on public investment in the new deal and welfare to work measures.

Des Browne: Since 1997, this Government has invested over £3 billion in New Deal, helping nearly 1.4 million people into work, and contributing to a 600,000 fall in unemployment, and to over 2 million more people in work.

Economic Cycle

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Treasury's reassessment of the beginning of the economic cycle.

John Healey: As set out in chapter 4 of the Treasury publication 'Evidence on the UK Economic Cycle' (July 2005), the Treasury's revised judgment, based on new evidence from revised national accounts data, is that the current economic cycle began in the first half of 1997, rather than in 1999. This conclusion is corroborated by other new data and analysis cited in the paper.

International Finance Facility

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress towards an international finance facility

John Healey: The IFF is supported by more than 80 countries, including France, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, China, and South Africa, as well as the UN and other international organisations, faith leaders and NGOs.
	As a first step towards launching a full IFF, on 9 September the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden launched a pilot IFF for Immunisation (IFFIm). Using the frontloading principles and mechanisms of the main IFF to generate new resources, the IFFIm could save the lives of an estimated five million children before 2015.

Government Borrowing

Lee Scott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of Government net borrowing on projected levels of taxation over the next five years;

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of Government net borrowing on the projected levels of taxation over the next five years.

Des Browne: Budget 2005 set out the Government's latest projections for tax receipts. Updated estimates will be published in the Pre-Budget Report.

Steel Prices

Si�n Simon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of steel prices on the British economy; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Higher steel prices tend to raise production costs and thus have a small adverse effect on economic activity, though UK exporters may have benefited from the strong world demand that has been driving steel prices. Thanks to the domestic macroeconomic stability that this Government's macroeconomic frameworks have delivered, the UK economy is much better placed than in the past to deal with challenges posed by the global economy, including those arising from high commodity prices.

Revenue and Customs Merger

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress of the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise.

Dawn Primarolo: The merger of Inland Revenue and HM Revenue  Customs (HMRC) took place successfully on 18 April 2005 through the legal merger of its two predecessor departments.
	Since then HMRC has created and implemented a new organisational structure designed to deliver better service to customers, new approaches to compliance, information and resources and efficiency, through economies of scale and transformational change.
	The new structure has more focus on HMRC customers and their needs. It requires more collegiate, interactive behaviours, which the organisation is developing. Early customer service benefits include an improved service to individuals through the introduction of a short tax return issued to 1.5 million individuals this year; the removal of over 1 million people with relatively simple affairs from the self assessment net; the reduction, by half, of the number of tax leaflets; and the rewriting of all leaflets and explanatory notes to make them simpler and easier to understand. Benefits to business customers include the phasing out of payment of tax credits by employers saving those businesses around 103 million in the first year. By next March 120,000 businesses will no longer have to administer tax credits for their employers.

Child Poverty

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to reduce child poverty in the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: This Government have committed to halve child poverty by 2010 and to eradicate it in a generation.
	Between the mid 1970s and mid 1990s, child poverty more than doubled, and in 1997 child poverty was higher in the UK than anywhere else in the EU. We have already, through the new deal, the minimum wage, through the child tax credit and through public services, lifted more than half a million children out of poverty.
	Last summer, the Child Poverty Review set out strategy to lift another 1 million children out of poverty by 201011:
	helping more people who want to work find work, and making work pay;
	providing financial support to help all families with the costs of bringing up children, and giving most help to those who need it most;
	building on the success of Sure Start by implementing a 10-Year Strategy for Childcare, with a Children's Centre offering integrated children's services in every community;
	and investing in our children's future so that by 200708 total funding for schools will be 60 per cent. higher in real terms than in 199697.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Paymaster General will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 5 September regarding a constituent.

Dawn Primarolo: I have done so.

Insurance Premium Tax/Fraud

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received regarding the insurance premium tax; and what steps he is taking to combat fraud in the tax system.

John Healey: In the last year a small number of letters have been received by Treasury Ministers about Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) Including representations about non-payment of IPT which have been Investigated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
	HMRC is continuing to develop a risk-based compliance strategy to ensure that the Department's resources are targeted most effectively at key risk areas.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Early-day Motions

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will initiate steps to enable hon. Members (a) to table and (b) to sign early-day motions electronically.

Nick Harvey: The Commission would need the authority of a decision by the House in order to make funds available for an extension of electronic tabling of this sort. The present system of tabling questions electronically was introduced following recommendations of the Procedure Committee (Parliamentary Questions, Third Report of Session 200102, HC 622, paragraphs 83 to 96). These recommendations were approved by the House on 29 October 2002.
	I have drawn this exchange to the attention of the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton) as Chairman of the Procedure Committee; my hon. Friend may also wish to approach that Committee directly.

House Employees

Sarah Teather: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff are employed by the House, broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnicity.

Nick Harvey: In September 2005 the number of individual staff, including part-time staff, on the House of Commons staff payroll was 1,698, of whom 921 were male and 777 were female. Information on ethnicity of staff who have declared their ethnicity during survey work over the past two years is:
	
		
			 Ethnicity Number of staff 
		
		
			 White 1,323 
			 Asian 91 
			 Chinese 8 
			 Black 166 
			 Mixed 7 
			 Other 34

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Business Rates

Vincent Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many appeals were made against business rate valuations in 2004; how many were upheld; and what the (a) average and (b) maximum waiting time was for a valuation appeal.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency received 135,387 appeals, against assessments in the 2000 Rating List, between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2004. 97,412 appeals received in this period have now been settled and 29,067 of these were upheld, according to the figures available as at 31 August 2005.
	The average time taken to settle these appeals by agreement or well founding is 278 days. The average time taken to settle appeals, which went to the Valuation Tribunal Service for a decision, is 373 days.
	The maximum time taken to settle these appeals by agreement or well founding is 601 days. The maximum time taken to settle appeals, which went to the Valuation Tribunal Service for a decision, is 575 days.

Fire Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the (a) Firelink Project and (b) FireControl Project will enable the transfer of Fire and Rescue Service command and control functions to regional level in England.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Firelink project will provide a communications conduit from the control room to Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) vehicles which will be integrated with the common control system for all English FRSs provided by the FiReControl project. The FiReControl technology would allow regional command arrangements, but operational command arrangements will remain the responsibility of the chief fire officers of individual fire and rescue services.

Fire Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the (a) FireControl Project and (b) Firelink Project will provide inter-operable voice communications at gold command level between the Fire and Rescue Service and (i) the Police Service and (ii) the Ambulance Service.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Firelink wide area radio system will provide interoperable voice communication between the primary emergency services at gold and silver command levels.

Fire Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how far out to sea radio coverage will be provided under the Firelink Project; what effect this will have on the proposals for firefighting at sea set out in the document Sea of Change; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The extent to which Firelink provides coverage at sea will depend on the supplier selected. An announcement about that is envisaged shortly. The Firelink project is not however intended for use with Sea of Change operations. Sea of Change communications will be carried out primarily using VHF marine band frequencies for operations within 30 miles of the shore or by satellite communications for distant operations or on those occasions when VHF proves inadequate. All Sea of Change operations are co-ordinated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency sponsored by the Department for Transport.

Local Government Finance

Roger Gale: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to implement the results of the 2001 census in determining funding for county authorities in the South East.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minster consulted on changes to the local government finance formula grant distribution system during the summer. The use of 2001 census data in the funding formula is included in the proposals that we have consulted on.
	We will consider fully all the responses that we received to the consultation before making final decisions on the 200607 Local Government Finance Settlement.

TRANSPORT

A1

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the status of proposals for the upgrading of the A1 to motorway status between Dishforth and Barton.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency is currently analysing the responses received following the public consultation into the A1 Dishforth to Barton upgrade scheme with a view to publishing draft orders early next year.

Emergency Telephones

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many emergency telephones are in place on (a) trunk roads and (b) motorways in England and Wales; what the distance in miles between each one is; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: There are about 300 emergency telephones on the all-purpose trunk road network and 6,100 on motorways in England for which the Secretary of State for Transport is responsible. Telephones on two and three lane-motorways are spaced at approximately one mile intervals and at intervals of 0.6 mile on motorways with more than three lanes. Telephones on trunk roads are located where there is an identified need.
	On the M42 in the West Midlands, Active Traffic Management will be piloted from December. This includes the use of the hard shoulder as a running lane at busy times and emergency telephones will be installed in refuge areas at 500 metre intervals.
	Roads in Wales are the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly or the relevant local highway authority. Other roads in England that are not part of the trunk road network are the responsibility of the local highway authorities.

Tachographs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether the (a) Department and (b) Vehicle and Operator Services Agency's predecessor made representations relating to the English text of EU regulations (i) 3821/85 and (ii) 2135/98 before they were published in the Official Journal;
	(2)  what discussions were held between the Vehicle Operators Services Agency and (a) road haulage companies and (b) coach operators prior to the implementation of EU regulation 3821/85.

Stephen Ladyman: Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3821/85, requiring various drivers to use a tachograph to record their daily activities, was adopted nearly twenty years ago. Information regarding representations made prior to publication of the regulation, or discussions with industry regarding its implementation, is not readily available.
	Council Regulation (EC) No. 2135/98 amended the earlier regulation. Again, records relating to negotiation of this regulation are not readily available. However, apparent discrepancies (relating to the retention of records by the driver) between the English and other texts have come to light subsequently. Officials have raised these discrepancies with the European Commission.

Tachographs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prohibitions have been issued by the Vehicle Operator Services Agency for breaches of EU Regulation 3821/85 since commencement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was formed on 1 April 2003. VOSA have issued the following number of prohibitions for breaches of EU Regulation 3821/85:
	
		
			  Prohibitions 
		
		
			 200304 1149 
			 200405 1200 
			 200506 ( year only) 770

Tachographs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from drivers and operators of heavy vehicles about the implementation of EU Regulation 3821/85.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department for Transport and its agencies receive a large number of queries each year about the application of this 1985 European regulation (which requires many heavy vehicles to be fitted with a device to record driving hours and specifies how records should be used). These queries are largely of a technical nature.

Tachographs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken to advise heavy vehicle drivers and operators that the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency uses the French text of EU Regulation 3821/85 (as amended), in preference to the English text, when enforcing the requirement for coach and lorry drivers to produce tachograph discs at roadside checks.

Stephen Ladyman: Discrepancies between the English and French texts of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3821/85 (as amended) occurred during translation. The resulting English text suggested, incorrectly, that requirements for drivers to be able to produce records were less stringent than had previously been the case. However, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and DfT have consistently taken the line that, in fact, there has been no change in this requirement. This interpretation is reflected in DfT/VOSA guidance.

General Lighthouse Fund

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Government of the Republic of Ireland regarding the cessation of payments from the UK General Lighthouse Fund for the provision of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters.

Stephen Ladyman: We have received no representations from the Irish Government on this matter. However, in March we secured a commitment from the Irish Government to renegotiate the 1985 Agreement which sets out the funding arrangements for the Commissioners of Lights and the provision of navigational aids for the whole of the island of Ireland.

Left-hand Drive Limousines

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will allow left-hand drive limousines to be issued with a certificate of initial fitness so that they can be certified as passenger service vehicles.

Stephen Ladyman: Left-hand drive limousines are already allowed to be issued with a certificate of initial fitness if they conform with the requirements of the Public Service Vehicles (conditions of fitness, equipment, use and certification) Regulations 1981. However, most are unlikely to qualify due to other aspects of their design.

M5

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of the costs incurred by the Highways Agency in making alterations to Junction 14 of the M5.

Stephen Ladyman: The latest cost of the works to Junction 14 on the M5 is 781,327, which includes final payments for the engineering works.

Road Fatalities (Hornsey and Wood Green)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of road fatalities in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency in each of the last 10 years; what the average for London boroughs was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		Fatalities in personal injury road accidents: 19952004
		
			  Constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green(1) Average for the London boroughs(2) 
		
		
			 1995 2 6 
			 1996 9 8 
			 1997 4 8 
			 1998 0 7 
			 1999 0 8 
			 2000 2 9 
			 2001 1 9 
			 2002 3 9 
			 2003 9 8 
			 2004 1 7 
		
	
	(1) Based on 2004 boundaries.
	(2) Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Science and Engineering

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government are taking to make parents aware of the opportunities that exist for girls in science and engineering.

Meg Munn: The Department has a 6.9 million contract with the UK Resource Centre for Women (UKRC), to promote SET (science, engineering, technology) skills for women. The UKRC is affiliated with, and provides guidance to, (Joint Innovation) JIVE Partners, an organisation which has delivered staff training to over 400 careers professionals and is now working with teachers. The importance of involvement with parents is stressed within this training. JIVE's newly published How To Guide on Careers Advice (SET for Girls) also stresses the involvement of parents in careers events and organised activities.
	DTI is supporting the science, engineering, technology and maths network (SETNET) for the next three years with funding in excess of 10 million. Through its work with schools, SETNET comes into regular contact with parents, for example through family learning days and careers roadshows. SETNET runs the Science Engineering Ambassadors (SEAs) scheme, in which young scientists act as role models for school students.
	SEAs work with parents to give them the information they need to encourage their children (of both genders and all ethnic backgrounds) to look at the opportunities available to them. There are now nearly 11,000 ambassadors, of which over 50 per cent. are under 35 and 38 per cent. are women.
	The computer club for girls initiative (CC4G) is supported by DfES. It is run within schools and aims to transform the attitudes of girls towards technology-related careers. Parents have to give their consent to this extra curricular activity and are kept informed of their children's progress.
	DTI also sponsors the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) and the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The RAEng is currently extending its extra-curricula support for girls in science and engineering. The HEADSTART scheme creates opportunities for girls to attend summer schools at universities. Making these all-girls events removes a potential barrier to access for some faith groups. Parents are directly involved at the start and finish of this scheme. Another new scheme (the London Engineering Project (LEP)) will take curriculum enrichment into inner-city schools where care will be taken to make all events gender appropriate in terms of choice of engineering theme, approaches and materials. Encouraging active parent participation will be a key element for LEP. The BA CREST Award scheme offers girls (and boys) opportunities to take part directly in scientific research and engineering projects. This scheme includes a range of presentations and events through which parents are encouraged to keep up-to-date with their children's work.
	In addition, the DTI supports initiatives such as the WISE Campaign (Women Into Science and Engineering). WISE have produced a booklet entitled Engineering Equals which includes advice for parents, and includes action lists, places to visit, and reading material to encourage girls into science, engineering and technology. WISE's work with girls also brings them into direct contact with parents, e.g. through residential courses where the parents are invited in on the last day to hear what their daughters have learned.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Business Start-ups

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have registered in (a) Huddersfield, (b) Yorkshire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Huddersfield parliamentary constituency, Yorkshire 1 and England are shown as follows for 2000 to 2004. Data for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
	
		VAT registrations 200004
		
			  Huddersfield Yorkshire(3) England 
		
		
			 2000 215 11,320 157,615 
			 2001 195 10,985 148,835 
			 2002 230 11,610 155,175 
			 2003 240 12,880 166,505 
			 2004 275 12,150 158,535 
		
	
	(3) The Government office region of Yorkshire and the Humber excluding North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire unitary authorities.
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 19942004, Small Business Service, available at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats
	VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.

Commission for Racial Equality

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the maximum length of time is which it should take for a caseworker to be assigned by the Commission for Racial Equality when a complaint of a potentially discriminatory pay system is raised with them.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) does not have a target for the time it should take to assign a caseworker when a complaint of a potentially discriminatory pay system is raised with it. It prioritises cases on the basis of its own assessment of their urgency and then deals with them as quickly as the available resources will allow. The CRE has recently completed a consultation exercise on proposals aimed at improving the service it provides to the public.

Commission for Racial Equality

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints regarding the time it takes to assign a caseworker by the Commission for Racial Equality there have been in each of the past five years.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not available. The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) does not maintain a record of the number of complaints received about the time it takes to assign a caseworker. Where the complaint is covered by the Race Relations Act 1976, the CRE is bound by law to consider all applications for assistance in cases of alleged discrimination.
	Although the amount of assistance given varies depending on the nature of the case, everyone who applies will get some advice.

eContentplus Programme

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many projects have applied to operate in the UK as part of the eContentplus programme; in which projects the Government is participating; and if he will making a statement.

Alun Michael: The eContentplus programme has only just issued its first call for proposals, and so there are no figures available as yet. Information for the eContent programme, which preceded eContentplus, may be of interest. It shows that in the four years of the its operation the programme attracted 71 UK participants, representing 10.3 per cent. of the total. The Government, directly or through one of its agencies, was a participant in eight of the projects, including ePATENT (the Patent Office), EULIS (Her Majesty's Land Registry), EUROREGIOMAP (Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland), @RETE (British Tourist Authority), ELCA2 (Environment Agency), EUROROADS (Ordnance Survey), EEARTH (National Environment Research Council), and DIAS (Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils).

New Businesses

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have registered in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for each London borough are shown as follows for 2000 to 2004. Data for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
	
		VAT registrations 200004
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 370 320 320 360 355 
			 Barnet 2,045 1,760 1,700 1,635 1,610 
			 Bexley 590 620 540 570 535 
			 Brent 1,175 1,090 1,030 1,160 1,150 
			 Bromley 955 965 950 985 995 
			 Camden 2,215 1,870 1,900 2,035 1,995 
			 City of London 1,460 1,085 1,045 1,090 1,120 
			 Croydon 960 945 985 1,070 945 
			 Ealing 1,195 1,150 1,185 1,315 1,295 
			 Enfield 900 820 845 900 905 
			 Greenwich 530 490 485 515 560 
			 Hackney 1,155 1,015 1,030 1,075 975 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,015 995 940 965 1,065 
			 Haringey 970 880 830 895 905 
			 Harrow 945 915 920 1,045 1,205 
			 Havering 650 640 620 620 600 
			 Hillingdon 865 760 845 850 870 
			 Hounslow 825 815 800 855 845 
			 Islington 1,365 1,190 1,230 1,240 1,310 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,225 940 1,095 1,160 1,175 
			 Kingston upon Thames 625 600 595 575 630 
			 Lambeth 845 1,000 875 900 1,025 
			 Lewisham 605 605 595 600 625 
			 Merton 770 690 640 720 700 
			 Newham 575 530 545 650 635 
			 Redbridge 860 795 770 850 815 
			 Richmond upon Thames 955 890 995 1,010 985 
			 Southwark 1,100 955 975 1,085 1,080 
			 Sutton 505 505 490 540 535 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,095 935 970 1,110 1,045 
			 Waltham Forest 650 630 650 685 695 
			 Wandsworth 1,195 1,115 1,115 1,235 1,350 
			 Westminster 5,225 4,765 4,535 5,590 4,930 
		
	
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 19942004, Small Business Service, available at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats
	VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.

Regional Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations have been established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of his Department.

Alun Michael: DTI has responsibility for the following entities with a regional remit which have been established since May 1997:
	Bodies:
	Eight Regional Development Agencies viz
	Advantage West Midlands
	East Midlands Development Agency
	East of England Development Agency
	North West Development Agency
	One North West
	South West England Development Agency
	South West of England Regional Development Agency
	Yorkshire Forward
	Task Forces:
	The MG Rover Task Force
	Offices:
	The Employment Tribunals Service has opened an office in Watford

WarnTone System

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will grant a test licence for the WarnTone system to alert traffic to emergency vehicles.

Alun Michael: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Ofcom is the independent regulator for the communications sector, deriving its main powers and duties directly from statute rather than by delegation from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, and accountable to Parliament in its own right. Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member and to send me a copy of his response. Copies of the chief executive's letter will also be placed in the Libraries of the House.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Firearms

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of young people carrying firearms.

Hazel Blears: Young people's attitudes to guns can only be changed by everyoneGovernment, local authorities, police and communitiesworking together.
	We are supporting local communities in fighting against gun crime through our small grant programme, the Connected Fund. We are also supporting anti-gun crime campaigns such as Don't Trigger which was launched on 3 October.
	We have tightened the law on controls on firearms including putting in place a five year minimum sentence for those convicted of possession of an illegal firearm. The Violent Crime Reduction Bill includes a proposal for a ban on the sale, manufacture and import of realistic looking imitation firearms and a new offence of using another person to hide or carry a dangerous weapon.

Identity Cards

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of an identity card will be; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: It will be affordable to set a charge of 30 at current prices for a stand-alone ID card which is valid for 10 years. This will be affordable within current Home Office spending plans.
	This figure has been arrived at following careful scrutiny of the costs of the ID cards scheme over the summer by the Home Office, in full consultation with Treasury and other Government Departments.
	We are unable to release the precise costs for individual aspects of the scheme because this information is commercially sensitive and could affect the Department's ability to secure value for money from the market. However, independent analysis in a report from KPMG, a summary of which will be published shortly, has concluded that the costing methodology is robust and appropriate for this stage of development.
	We are also developing plans to roll the scheme out faster using registration with the criminal records bureau as well as passport application to enrol people into the ID cards scheme. This would lead to faster issuing of the card and improved outcomes and budget savings for the criminal records bureau.
	We remain confident that further significant savings to Government and the private sector will be identified as plans are developed. In particular, the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality, East (Mr. McNulty) now chairs a cross-departmental ministerial committee to identify transformational benefits and efficiencies which the ID cards scheme can deliver to other Government Departments.
	Our current best estimate of the average unit cost of the combined passport and ID card package is 93; around 70 per cent. of these costs would be incurred anyway because of the worldwide move to biometric passports. We expect that most people will still choose to get their ID card alongside their new biometric passport as this will be the most convenient way to participate in the scheme and will give people the full benefits of having the most secure travel documentation.
	I am also publishing today a research report 'Identity Cards: an assessment of awareness and demand for the Identity Cards Scheme' which demonstrates strong public support for the scheme.

Impact Nominal Index

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in developing the Impact Nominal Index; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Significant progress has been made in developing the Impact Nominal Index. The operational capability is expected to be delivered in December 2005.

Payroll Giving

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the promotion of recent changes to the Payroll Giving Grants programme.

Charles Clarke: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 1784W.

Proceeds of Crime

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money seized as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 was invested in (a) Southend and (b) Essex police in each year of its operation; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Information is not available in the form requested. The police asset recovery incentivisation scheme came into operation in 200405. Under the scheme Essex police received 29,387 on the basis of its performance in that year. Incentive payments based on performance in 200506 will be made in 200607. In addition, in 200405 two Essex based community groups received around 20,000 from the Connected Fund for anti-gun crime and knife crime initiatives. The Connected Fund was funded from confiscated proceeds of crime.

Sex Abuse Claims

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the use of polygraph tests in historical sex abuse investigations.

Paul Goggins: Evidence relating to the credibility of a witness from a lie-detector has not been admitted in the courts. The main reason is that there have been concerns about the accuracy of such tests. This led the Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure to conclude in 1981 that the machine's
	lack of certainty from an evidential point of view
	told against its introduction in this country.
	However, since 2003 the probation service has been piloting the use of polygraph examination with convicted sex offenders. The purpose is to test compliance with license conditions, risk management plans and treatment. Information from the examination can be shared with the police and other agencies. To date over 200 offenders have volunteered to be tested. During the course of examination many offenders have disclosed further information which has been useful in confirming the risk assessment or revising the risk management plan. If information were to be divulged in a polygraph test that could help in the investigation of an unsolved crime, this would, of course, be passed to the police.

Substance Abuse

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the level of (a) alcohol misuse and (b) abuse of illegal drugs in 200405.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office has not made any recent comparative analysis between drug and alcohol misuse.
	However, the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England and accompanying Interim Analysis set out a broad assessment of the scope and extent of harms caused by alcohol.

Visas

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 1 May 1997 visas have been granted to religious representatives; what mechanisms are in place for the co-ordination of information between countries in this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures are not available for Minister of Religion visa applications prior to 1998. The number of visas issued under the entry clearance category 'Ministers of Religion' from 1998 on an annual basis is as follows:
	
		
			  Received Issued Refused 
		
		
			 1998 69 37 16 
			 1999 50 33 11 
			 2000 131 123 35 
			 2001 345 343 65 
			 2002 409 333 72 
			 2003 936 502 410 
			 2004 888 517 348 
			 2005 (January to August) 500 271 210 
			 Total 3,328 2,159 1,167 
		
	
	While every effort is made to ensure that statistics are correct, the complexity of UKvisas global business, including technical failures and inconsistencies in data means 100 per cent. accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
	The total number of applications issued and refused may not always equal the total of applications received. This can be caused by a variety of reasons. Applications can be carried forward from one year to another before being resolved. They may be withdrawn during processing, but still count as an application received. In these circumstances, delays can and do occur between the application being received and the decision being taken.
	There are no specific mechanisms to share data on visa applicants with foreign governments or law enforcement agencies in any particular category of the Immigration Rules. However, if the need to share data or information arises on individual applications, UKvisas will consider doing so if such action complies with the principles and terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Weapons

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to deal with (a) gun and (b) knife crime.

Hazel Blears: We are working with communities, other Government Departments, local authorities and law enforcement agencies to combat gun and knife crime.
	We are supporting local initiatives through funding from recycled criminal assets. 2 million was allocated to support work related to gun crime for 200405 and a further 2 million for 200506. Some of this is being allocated to small community initiatives through our connected fund. To date, 119 projects have been supported in two rounds of the fund, with a third currently under way.
	We are working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and other agencies to improve intelligence-gathering, examine links between drugs and gun crime, reduce the supply and availability of firearms, develop effective police operations, and expand the use of the national firearms forensic intelligence database .
	On knife crime, the Government support the work of the police for example through dedicated, intelligence-led operations, such as Operation Blunt in London, and we are developing proposals with the Association of Chief Police Officers for a nation-wide knife amnesty similar to some campaigns currently being run by the Metropolitan police.
	The Department of Education and Skills introduced the Safer Schools Partnerships scheme in spring 2002. More than 400 police officers are now based in schools to reduce victimisation, criminality and antisocial behaviour.
	We are introducing new measures on gun and knife crime in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill, currently before Parliament, which will raise the age for purchasing a knife to 18, ban the sale, manufacture and import of realistic imitation firearms, give head teachers powers to search pupils for weapons, and introduce a new offence of using another person to hide or carry a gun or knife.

PRIME MINISTER

Advisers

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions in 200405, when an unpaid adviser undertook travel on public business and claimed expenses, broken down by (a) name of adviser, (b) dates and destinations of travel and (c) cost to public funds.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2 February 2005, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA54.

Ministerial Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions since 1 January 2004 when Ministers wishing to be absent from the UK have sought his written approval; and whether his approval was given in each case.

Tony Blair: Correspondence between Ministers relates to internal discussion and advice and is therefore not disclosed.

Ministerial Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions a Minister's spouse or partner accompanied a Minister on (a) domestic and (b) overseas official duties during 200405, broken down by (i) name of Minister, (ii) dates of travel and (iii) cost to public funds.

Tony Blair: The information requested is not held centrally. The cost of spouses or partners accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the overall cost of Ministers' visits overseas, which is published on an annual basis. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Oliver Cromwell

Michael Penning: To ask the Leader of the House if his Department will commemorate the 350th anniversary of the death of Oliver Cromwell.

Geoff Hoon: I have no plans to do so.

WALES

EU Funding

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Foreign Secretary on securing EU funding for (i) Wales and (ii) West Wales and the Valleys; what assessment he has made of the likelihood of securing budgetary agreement on EU funding for Wales before Christmas; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues of importance to Wales, including the current negotiations on the EU structural funds programme from 2007 to 2013.
	I am acutely aware of the importance of timing if Wales is to continue to benefit from the higher level of European aid. Negotiations on the EU Structural and Cohesion Fund are closely linked to the wider discussions on the financial perspective for the EU for the same period. The UK presidency is taking forward the discussions on future financing and is committed to preparing the future financing dossier for the December council.

DEFENCE

Departmental Spending

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in (i) Moray constituency and (ii) the Highland Region was for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in (i) Dundee East constituency, (ii) Tayside and (iii) the City of Dundee was for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in (i) Banff and Buchan and (ii) the North East of Scotland was for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in Perth and North Perthshire was for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Don Touhig: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Drill Hall, Seaford

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans for the Drill Hall, Broad Street, Seaford.

Don Touhig: The Drill Hall is currently used by No 2 Seaford Platoon, Sussex Army Cadet Force. Options for the future of this building are being reviewed. No decisions have been taken.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Annajoy David Da-Bora

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to assure the safety of Annajoy David Da-Bora and her daughter, when they travel to Spain on 27 July following court decisions in Spain and London.

Douglas Alexander: Our consular staff cannot guarantee the safety and/or personal security of British nationals abroad. If Mrs. Da-Bora has concerns for her personal safety, she should make them known to the Spanish police who are the responsible authority for the protection of individuals in Spain. Our staff are ready to provide appropriate consular assistance to Mrs. Da-Bora and to accompany her if she wishes to call on the Spanish police.

Departmental Websites

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the websites that come under his Department's responsibility; what the cost was of each in the last year for which figures are available; and how many visitors there were to each site in that year.

Ian Pearson: Websites, which come under the responsibility of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), fall into two categories; those, which are hosted on the FCO web platform, and those developed and hosted independently either by the post or the Department.
	The running cost of the FCO web platform (not including staff costs), encompassing all platform websites for financial year 200405 was 588,000. Development costs for the web platform, including the design and build of the EU presidency, G8 presidency, Arabic and freedom of information sites, was 750,000. Across the platform as a whole the average monthly page impressions during 2004 were 7,604,166. Average monthly visits are estimated to be 2,534,722. Details of all websites hosted on the FCO Web Platform have been deposited in the Library of the House.
	Platform websites: the number of page views are given for those sites where data is available for 2004. In some cases average page views for 2005 have been given to give an indication of traffic volumes.
	
		
			 Website URL Page views 
		
		
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office-website www.fco.gov.uk 38,406,487 
			   
			 Freedom of information-website www.fco.gov.uk/foi Not launched until 2005 (68,426 average per month) 
			   
			 G8 Gleneagles 2005-website www.g8.gov.uk Not launched until 2005 (2,261, 116 January-September) 
			   
			 FCO Arabic website www.fco.gov.uk/arabic Not launched until 2005 (34,343 average per month) 
			   
			 UKvisas website www.ukvisas.gov.uk 15,403,519 
			   
			 UK EU presidency 2005 www.eu2005.gov.uk Not launched until 2005 
			   
			 UK EU presidency 2005-French language site www.ue2005.gov.uk Not launched until 2005 
			   
			 i-uk.com www.i-uk.com 2,424,790 
		
	
	
		Independent websites
		
			 Website URL Cost () p.a. Visitors 
		
		
			 Australia: British Information Services Canberra www.britaus.net (4) (4) 
			   
			 China: British Embassy Beijing www.britishembassy.org.cn 10,008 433,338 
			   
			 DesignUK 04 http://www.designuk.jp/ 2,000 12,647 
			 Germany: British Embassy Berlin www.britischebotschaft.de 955 419,084 
			   
			 Ireland: British Embassy Dublin www.britishembassy.ie 700 301,095 
			   
			 Israel: British Embassy Tel Aviv www.britemb.org.il 210 80,000 
			   
			 Japan: British Embassy Tokyo and UKNOW portal http://www.uknow.or.jp/ 32,000 632,930 
			   
			 my-earth.org.uk http://www.my-earth.org.uk/top_flash_J.html 34,000 1,000,000 
			 Seychelles www.bhcvictoria.sc/ (4) (4) 
			 Spain: British Embassy Madrid www.ukinspain.com (4) (4) 
			   
			 Sweden: British Embassy, Stockholm www.britishembassy.se 80.20 96,464 
			 Uganda: British High Commission Kampala www.britain.or.ug (4) (4) 
			   
			 United States of America: British Information Services New York UK Mission to the UN, New York www.britainusa.com 9,000 2,316,117 
			   
			  www.ukun.org  (5)14,533,890 
			 UK Permanent Representation to the EU www.ukrep.be (4) (4) 
			   
			 Go Gap Year Website (launched March 2005) www.gogapyear.com 43,000 (6)1,759 
		
	
	(4) Data not available.
	(5) Pageviews.
	(6) Average hits per day.

European Constitution

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the EU Trade Commissioner regarding the promotion of the EU Constitution.

Douglas Alexander: None.

Guantanamo Bay

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of British citizens held in Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay.

Ian Pearson: There are no British Citizens held at Guantanamo Bay.

Nuclear-capable Countries

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list countries assessed to be nuclear capable according to open source material; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: For the purposes of this answer 'nuclear capable' is taken to refer to countries capable of producing fissile material for nuclear weapons, other than the five nuclear weapons states recognised by the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the other states which have carried out nuclear test explosions (India and Pakistan).
	To produce fissile material, a state must master enrichment or reprocessing technology. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has listed the following non-nuclear weapons states (NNWS) as having enrichment plants, including pilot plants: Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Iran, Japan, and the Netherlands. It has also listed the following NNWS as possessing chemical reprocessing plants, including pilot plants: the DRPK, Germany, Italy and Japan. Israel is also widely assumed to possess reprocessing facilities.
	Possession of enrichment or reprocessing facilities does not imply an intention to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons. But nor does the lack of such facilities mean that a country could not acquire them in the future. A number of other states would be capable of constructing enrichment or reprocessing facilities if they chose to do so.
	This is why the NPT remains such an important instrument. It enshrines the principle that, with the exception of the nuclear weapon states, who are bound by the disarmament principles of Article VI, States Party to the Treaty will not manufacture
	or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons and will allow any nuclear material that they do possess to be subject to IAEA safeguards.
	The hon. Member may find further information on IAEA assessments at http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/SV/Safeguards/sv.html.

Subsidiarity

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy on the transfer of powers from the EU to national Governments; and which powers he has identified as best run at national level.

Douglas Alexander: Any changes in the division of competences between the EU and member states would require negotiation and agreement of a new Treaty by all 25 member states. The Government's focus during the UK presidency of the EU is on taking forward a wider debate about the future direction of the EU, rather then looking once again at its institutional architecture.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Olympic Games

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has made to the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the formation of a British football team for the 2012 London Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Ultimately, this is a matter for FIFA, the four home nations' football associations, and the organisers of the Olympic tournament. However, the Secretary of State has discussed the issue of a Great British football team for the Olympics with the Football Association of England on a number of occasions.
	The Government believe that a GB Olympic football team at a 2012 London Olympics could be very exciting for football fans and discussions between the various parties continue. The Government also believe this should not affect the rights of the four home nations to compete separately in international football tournamentsan important part of our footballing tradition.

Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the outcome of the independent investigation into potential conflicts of interest at the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment; what changes have been implemented following the investigations; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: When the report by AHL Ltd. on Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, audit of conflicts of interest was published in June 2004 (HC 678), the Department and the Commission (CABE) announced that we had accepted all of the report's 28 recommendations. These have all been implemented as set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Recommendation Action/current state 
		
		
			 Recommendations relating to Nolan principles 
			 1. Where potential for conflicts of interest exists the DCMS should formally document the assessment of any risks arising including whether this impacts on the suitability of a candidate for the proposed public position. The risk assessment should be re-performed at the time of re-appointment to ensure any change in circumstances is understood. The risk assessments should be retained as part of the appointment process. Actions required on the part of CABE to manage potential conflicts of interest should be agreed between the DCMS and CABE at the time of appointment. (15.3) DoneImplemented for the last appointments of CABE Heritage commissioner and chairman. DCMS NDPB chairs informed of new conflict of interest procedures on re-appointment in DCMS letter of 20 August 2004. 
			   
			 2. The profile of the future chair of CABE should be re-defined to minimise the risks associated with any public perception of conflict of interest arising. It is not in the public interest for the post to be held by a person with material commercial interests that may come into conflict with CABE's remit (16.9) DoneDetailed role specification prepared as part of recruitment of chairman. 
			   
			 3. Given the growth both in CABE and Stanhope, we have concluded that the position of chair of CABE should, in the future, not be held by a property developer, with significant commercial interests. (16.10) DoneRole specification included the criterion demonstrate an understanding of CABE's remit and a sensitivity to the interplay between that remit and wider commercial interests. 
			   
			 4. DCMS should review the balance of the commissioners active in the industry and those from an independent but relevant background. (17.5) Donerecruitment for new commissioners in 2006 to start shortly. 
			   
			 5. A risk assessment should be formally undertaken as part of the appointment of the chair of Design Review. Such an assessment should be undertaken for the existing post and any future appointments. Consideration should be given to extending this approach to the appointment of chair of all of the commission's sub-committees. (20.19) Done as part of appointment of Les Sparks in September 2004. Concept of Nominations Panel accepted and risk assessment to be rolled out to each sub-committee chair. 
			   
			 6. Interests must in the future be declared to CABE at the time of intent rather than commitment, as this is when the potential for conflict arises. (18.9) Doneintentions declared on CABE's log of intentions. 
			   
			 7. The direct commercial relationships between the commissioners, or the chair, should continue to be monitored and recorded in the register of interests. (18.14) Doneregister of interests pro forma has been amended to include commissioners' commercial relationships. 
			   
			 8. The Audit Committee should review the risks of declared interests to CABE. This should be repeated twice a year to ensure risks are reassessed against any changes in the profile of an existing interest The findings of this review should be reported to the commission and also to the DCMS. (18.11) This is now done twice a year. The Audit Committee assesses the register of interests in March and September. The assessment is reported to commissioners and DCMS. 
			   
			 9. A copy of the register of interests should be formally circulated to commissioners once a year to ensure the extent and depth of interests is understood (18.12) Done, 27 October 04. Due to be done again in October 2005. 
			   
			 10. The appointments process for Design Review panel members must be seen to be an open, as well as fair process. Implementation of the recommendations made by CABE on how this should be achieved is endorsed. (20.11) Done. The competition process was agreed by CABE's Operations Committee on 2 September 2004. Appointments announced January 2005. The process will be repeated annually. 
			   
			 11. In line with standard governance practice, training on an annual basis for Commissioners should be provided. (17.6) DoneThe first training event was held on 16 March 2005. The next event will be in March 2006. 
			   
			 12. Commissioners should sign a statement on appointment confirming their acceptance and understanding of the Nolan principles and their attendance on the induction training programme. (17.7) Doneintroduced for new commissioner appointments from November 2004. 
			   
			 13. CABE should further consider the need to make the register of interests more publicly available, for example by including it on the website. (18.13) Donenotice put on CABE's website (http://www.cabe.org.uk/about/commissioners.asp) stating that the register is available for inspection or a copy will be provided (in either electronic or paper form). 
			   
			 Recommendations to improve procedures in managing  conflicts of interest 
			 14. The commissioners' register of interests forms should be revised to include requirements to outline where an interest may amount to a potential or perceived conflict to CABE; record interests of connected parties on the register so that relevant familial or company interests are also reported. (18.10) DoneCABE's register pro forma amended to explicitly capture this information. Conflicts of interest guidance revised and expanded. Requirement to register perceived or potential conflicts included in guidance. 
			   
			 15. If professional advisors are used which also represent public sector board members in a private capacity, different partners should be involved, and the interest declared (19.3) Done: (a) DCMS issued new guidance to all its executive NDPBs on 24 March 2004. (b) CABE: different legal advisers have been retained to ensure separation on this issue. 
			 16. The general principles adopted to determine at which level of Design Review a scheme should be reviewed, should be documented. (20.4) DonePrinciples considered and agreed by Operations Committee on 2 September 2004. 
			   
			 17. The induction process for Design Review panel (DRP) members should be extended by: DoneConsidered and agreed by Operations Committee on 2 September 2004. Implemented for new DRP members starting in January 2005. Each new DRP member will have a 1:1 induction meeting with the Director of Design Review. 
			   
			 Providing further formal guidance on managing conflicts of interest;  
			 Documenting the induction process to ensure the importance of meeting public sector standards is covered, including Nolan principles and conflicts of interest. (20.15)  
			   
			 18. The person specification for 'chair of Design Review' should be included in the terms of reference for the Design Review Committee. (20.20) DoneConsidered and agreed by Operations Committee on 2 September 2004. 
			   
			 19. A register should be maintained of Design Review panel members' current employment. This should be circulated to all commissioners and Design Review members (20.25) Donelast circulated to commissioners in October 2004, and due to be circulated again in October 2005. 
			   
			 20. CABE's internal auditors should provide the Audit Committee with an annual assurance on the management of Design Review, in respect of propriety and regularity, including conflict of interest (20.27) CABE's internal auditors are due to provide an annual review of Design Review from 200506. 
			   
			 21. CABE should include in the form completed by those presenting to Design Review the fact that the opinion given will be in the public domain unless the developer requests that it be kept confidential. In instances where it is requested that an opinion remain confidential, the developer should also be required to maintain confidentiality and advise CABE when the scheme is to enter the public domain. (20.31) DoneCABE's procedures on confidential advice were agreed at a commission meeting on 15 September 2004 and formalized in a procedure note agreed by the Operations Committee on 16 February 2005. 
			   
			 22. Where relevant, the final opinion letter should reflect the fact that the scheme has been reviewed by CABE over a period of time. (20.34) Donethis is now done explicitly in all cases. 
			   
			 23. The Conflicts of Interests Guidance Note should be revised to reflect recommendations arising from this review. (21.7) DoneRevised conflicts of interest guidance and new conflicts of interest policy agreed by Operations Committee on 16 February 2005. 
			   
			 24. The process for declaring new interests that are made during the year should be formalised and care taken that paper and electronic copies of the register match each other. (21.8) DoneA form for notifying changes has been produced by CABE. CABE's head of corporate governance now formally monitors amendments. 
			   
			 25. The risks to CABE arising from interests declared by staff should be assessed, documented and reported to the Audit Committee. (21.9) DoneCABE staff register of interests and risk assessment considered by Audit Committee 8 December 2004. Next review due November 2005. 
			 26. The internal audit strategy should include annual internal audit reviews of Conflict of Interest Management. (21.10) Donefirst annual internal audit conducted in March 2005. 
			   
			 27. A risk mitigation plan should be put in place for managing the risk of conflicts of interest. (21.11) DoneCABE Audit Committee reviews risk register every six months; conflicts of interest are a top priority. 
			   
			 28. CABE should develop a handling strategy for conflicts of interest. (21.12) Donehandling strategy agreed by Audit Committee on 16 March 2005. 
		
	
	This updates the table (CAB33(a) ) published in the ODPM Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee's report, The Role and Effectiveness of CABE, Fifth Report of Session 200405, HC 59, March 2005.

Royal Charter for UK Sport

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued on whether the grant of a Royal Charter for UK Sport affects the ability of its staff to engage in party political activities or activities that could reasonably be construed as party political; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: UK Sport's management statement and its associated financial memorandum require UK Sport to have a code of conduct for staff and to comply with the Cabinet Office's guidance on non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). This states that NDPBs' rules of conduct should cover political activity.
	The UK Sport staff handbook indicates that rules on staff participation in political activities are regulated by the guidelines and principles contained in the civil service management code. The Cabinet Office also produced guidance for civil servants prior to the general election 2005, which UK Sport circulated to all staff.

Welsh Legislation

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how she intends to implement paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper, Better Governance for Wales (Cm 6582), in respect of any Bill she introduces in the current Session of Parliament.

David Lammy: I intend to implement the Government's policy as stated in paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper Better Governance for Wales Cm 6582. My Department is in discussion with the Assembly Government on the issue concerned.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Playing with Sounds Programme

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to encourage and promote the use of synthetic phonics teaching for primary school children; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Every child has an entitlement to structured phonics teaching as part of the literacy curriculum. The Primary National Strategy (PNS) promotes an approach to phonics that is fundamentally synthetic, and has provided materials and training to support teachers and early years practitioners in delivering this. Schools are free to select the phonics programme that best suits their needs. However, we expect that the selected programme would at least match the quality, standards and expectations in PNS materials.
	Jim Rose, a former senior Ofsted inspector with significant expertise in primary education, is currently carrying out an independent review of best practice in the teaching of early reading, including the place of phonics. His findings, expected in early 2006, will further inform PNS approaches. The Department has also instigated Early Reading Development Pilots aimed at examining how children's learning outcomes can be enhanced through a systematic and fast paced approach to the teaching of phonics, and to identify effective models of support to schools and ways of enhancing parental involvement. These pilots begin in 200 schools and early years settings this autumn and use a programme of phonics based on the PNS Playing with Sounds materials. Findings will complement Jim Rose's work, with early findings informing his review, and will feed into a review of the PNS framework for teaching literacy and the Early Development and Learning Framework.

Adult Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the availability of adult education classes in England;
	(2)  how much the Government spent on adult education in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(3)  what plans she has to increase the availability of adult education; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). We ensure adult learning provision is provided through the funding from the LSC to further education colleges, local authorities and other providers. The LSC was established in 2001 bringing the planning and funding of post-16 education together under one body. Local LSC's agree delivery plans with local providers, ensuring that the local needs of individuals and employers are met.
	In 2005/06 we have emphasised our priorities for further education which guarantee a place in education or training for all young people and a focus on support for adults without a solid foundation of employability skills. In 2005/06 total funding for FE will increase by 4.4 per cent. compared to 2004/05. Funding for non-vocational learning opportunities for adults, through the adult and community learning budget has also increased. In 2004/05 nationally we provided over 207 million to the Learning and Skills Council in support of this learning. This has risen to 210 million in 2005/06.
	In 200102 the Learning and Skills Council spent 2,236 million on adult programmes including FE, work based learning, adult and community learning and other programmes. This increased to 2,427 million in 200203 and to 2,866 million in 200304. Figures for adult education for the years prior to 2001 are not comparable as the budget was split between a range of different organisations. The departmental annual report sets out total expenditure on further education, adult training and skills and lifelong learning for this period.

Children (Bereavement)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what statistics the Government (a) collect and (b) are planning to collect on children affected by bereavement.

Maria Eagle: The Government do not collect statistics relating to children affected by bereavement and currently have no plans to do so. Research-based estimates suggest that around 14,600 children suffer bereavement each year (in England and Wales) 1 and that children have a 6 per cent. chance of suffering parental bereavement by the age of 16 2 .
	This issue and the closely-related issue of research into the impact of child bereavement was considered at some length by the former Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families (The right hon. Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge)). It was concluded that a considerable body of research in this area was already being developed, and that it would not be appropriate to decide on any new data collection until current work being undertaken by researchers had been completed.
	1 Lowton  Higginson (2002) Early bereavement: what factors influence children's responses to death? London: Kings College London, University of London
	2 Harrison  Harrington (2001) cited in Childhood Bereavement Network Briefing Paper: Children and Bereavement

Construction Workers (London)

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of skilled construction workers in London, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) age.

Phil Hope: The numbers of construction workers in London, and those who hold qualifications at level 2 or higher, are as follows:
	
		Construction workers (London)
		
			 Learning skills council area Number of construction workers Number holding level 2 or higher qualification Percentage 
		
		
			 Central London 17,000 8,000 47 
			 East London 38,000 21,000 55 
			 North London 14,000 6,000 48 
			 South London 21,000 12,000 59 
			 West London 22,000 11,000 50 
			 Total 111,000 59,000 53 
		
	
	
		
			 Age band Number of construction workers Number holding level 2 or higher qualification Percentage 
		
		
			 16 to 19 4,000 1,000 30 
			 20 to 24 9,000 4,000 42 
			 25 to 29 14,000 7,000 48 
			 30 to 39 28,000 17,000 59 
			 40 to 49 28,000 16,000 58 
			 50 to 59 22,000 12,000 54 
			 60 plus 6,000 2,000 37 
			 Total 111,000 59,000 53 
		
	
	Note:
	Estimates of less than 10,000 are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a higher degree of sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution.
	Source:
	Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (ALALFS) in 2003/04
	Estimates are given by Learning Skills Council Area rather than by constituency because sample sizes are not large enough to give reliable estimates at constituency level.
	Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are being established to identify and define the skills that employers need to raise productivity in all major sectors of the economy. Construction is one of four sectors pioneering new Sector Skills Agreements to deliver on this agenda.
	Construction was highlighted as a priority curriculum area in Success for All: Our Vision for the Future the Government's strategy for reforming further education and training published in November 2002.

Correspondence

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education will reply to the letter dated 21 July regarding funding provisions for further education from the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Bill Rammell: I have today responded to the hon. Member's letter of 21 July.

Freedom of Information

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests have been answered by the Department; and in how many cases (a) information was wholly exempted, (b) information was partly exempted and (c) the requests were answered in full.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2248W, by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Science Teaching

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the future of the Double Award Science GCSE;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the planned changes to the Key Stage 4 Science Curriculum from 2006;
	(3)  what consultation was carried out with respect to the introduction of the new programme of study for science GCSEs from 2006;
	(4)  how many students her Department estimates will be taught courses leading to (a) GCSE Science, (b) GCSE Additional Science, (c) GCSE Additional Applied Science, (d) GCSE Biology, (e) GCSE Chemistry and (f) GCSE Physics under the new programmes of study to be made available in 200607.

Bill Rammell: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and the National Foundation for Educational Research carried out widespread consultation on proposals to introduce a revised programme of study at Key Stage 4. The science and science education communities and a sample of schools, colleges and universities were included in the consultation. The majority of respondents supported the changes.
	The new programme of study for science at Key Stage 4 will maintain the breadth, depth and challenge of the current curriculum, while catering for a wide range of students' interests and aptitudes and encouraging more students to study more science.
	The current Double Award Science GCSE will not be available after summer 2008. Awarding bodies will be offering a range of options, with Science and Additional Science being the closest equivalent to it.
	The Government does not make forward projections of take up for individual examinations. However, we expect that at least 80 per cent. of students should do at least two science GCSEs and propose to give young people an entitlement to study leading to at least two science GCSEs.

Sector Skills Councils

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the (i) role and (ii) effectiveness of sector skills councils; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Working with the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Devolved Administrations, the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) has established a performance monitoring and evaluation framework. This has set out a series of performance measures and indicators related to their policy objectives (set down within the Skills for Business performance scorecard).
	Using this framework, an annual programme of evaluation work was developed. The evaluation programme consists of four core projects;
	Survey of employersthis has consulted a nationally representative sample of 13,500 employers across the United Kingdom.
	Survey of stakeholders, including officials of Government Departments, educationalists and representatives of Government agencies such as the Learning and Skills Council, Regional Development Agencies, Scottish Further Education Funding Council, Education and Learning Wales.
	Qualitative work, with selected SSCs and the SSDA and a range of stakeholders.
	Summary and Overview project analysing the full range of evaluation information and pulling it together into one overall assessment, which constitutes the overview report.
	Key findings from the first and second phase of evaluation are available on the SSDA website (http://www.ssda.org.uk/ssda/default.aspx?page=41)

Skills Shortages

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment her Department has made of where the UK has skills shortages; and what steps it has taken to rectify such shortages.

Phil Hope: The Learning and Skills Council in England conducts a National Employers Skills Survey to identify skill shortages and skill gaps to inform their planning and public funding of post 16 education and training. The Government has also established the Skills for Business Network and Regional Skills Partnerships. Skills for Business comprises the Sector Skills Development Agency and 24 licensed Sector Skills Councils to provide employer-led strategic action to meet each sector's skills and business needs. Each SSC is tasked with producing a wide-ranging Sector Skills Agreement beginning with an assessment of the sector's long-term, medium and short-term needs and progressing to a final agreement with key partners and agencies signed up to secure the necessary skills supply. Regional Skills Partnerships bring together the planning and funding agencies within a region to address identified priorities. Although separate training arrangements apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, all three devolved administrations will work to implement Sector Skills Agreements.

Special Needs (London)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated to special needs provision in each London borough in each of the last eight years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is only available from 200001 onwards and is contained within the following table:
	
		Budgeted net expenditure on the education of children with special educational needs1, 2 -- 
		
			 Local authority name 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 City of London 202,000 242,000 336,000 401,000 432,000 398,000 
			 Barking and Dagenham 9,383,000 6,293,000 11,935,000 12,812,000 15,361,000 17,273,000 
			 Barnet 26,197,000 26,090,000 26,784,000 31,236,000 33,519,000 35,919,000 
			 Bexley 14,451,000 16,754,000 17,731,000 21,465,000 21,511,000 23,460,000 
			 Brent 15,181,000 16,626,000 17,099,000 18,891,000 23,316,000 25,070,000 
			 Bromley 16,356,000 16,987,000 16,549,000 23,357,000 22,286,000 27,542,000 
			 Camden 9,490,000 14,215,000 13,056,000 15,388,000 16,790,000 19,673,000 
			 Croydon 20,241,000 22,008,000 21,252,000 24,969,000 25,453,000 29,434,000 
			 Ealing 19,895,000 20,347,000 22,588,000 23,075,000 24,729,000 25,931,000 
			 Enfield 19,814,000 20,172,000 19,667,000 23,536,000 26,770,000 27,851,000 
			 Greenwich 20,336,000 19,883,000 21,328,000 23,425,000 26,412,000 27,615,000 
			 Hackney 17,296,000 18,172,000 18,690,000 20,443,000 23,688,000 35,951,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 8,256,000 8,045,000 9,280,000 10,297,000 12,558,000 13,901,000 
			 Haringey 14,782,000 16,974,000 20,411,000 21,628,000 26,314,000 27,455,000 
			 Harrow 14,763,000 13,181,000 12,030,000 14,794,000 18,630,000 20,632,000 
			 Havering 9,333,000 9,595,000 9,607,000 10,842,000 11,452,000 12,489,000 
			 Hillingdon 15,789,000 18,143,000 19,137,000 21,263,000 23,350,000 23,908,000 
			 Hounslow 14,772,000 16,092,000 16,395,000 20,330,000 21,412,000 23,867,000 
			 Islington 11,796,000 10,973,000 12,466,000 15,930,000 18,090,000 19,091,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 7,636,000 7,123,000 5,460,000 6,869,000 7,434,000 8,093,000 
			 Kingston upon Thames 7,764,000 9,025,000 10,363,000 10,671,000 12,073,000 13,095,000 
			 Lambeth 20,672,000 21,775,000 20,900,000 23,896,000 26,150,000 27,537,000 
			 Lewisham 15,996,000 17,092,000 17,190,000 27,098,000 27,139,000 27,051,000 
			 Merton 11,422,000 12,169,000 12,696,000 13,467,000 14,001,000 16,888,000 
			 Newham 19,623,000 21,807,000 24,554,000 28,901,000 31,592,000 37,180,000 
			 Redbridge 12,670,000 13,658,000 14,655,000 16,587,000 19,880,000 20,907,000 
			 Richmond upon Thames 6,228,000 8,651,000 7,935,000 10,085,000 11,679,000 12,170,000 
			 Southwark 20,278,000 21,253,000 20,208,000 23,129,000 26,440,000 28,224,000 
			 Sutton 11,443,000 12,880,000 15,259,000 16,863,000 18,707,000 20,432,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 24,829,000 24,946,000 22,926,000 27,202,000 29,593,000 33,297,000 
			 Waltham Forest 14,395,000 15,119,000 18,181,000 17,295,000 19,097,000 22,321,000 
			 Wandsworth 17,511,000 18,312,000 18,815,000 19,980,000 25,704,000 27,833,000 
			 Westminster 8,314,000 8,814,000 9,760,000 11,901,000 12,750,000 17,506,000 
		
	
	(7) Includes planned expenditure on the provision for pupils with statements and the provision for non-statemented pupils with SEN, support for inclusion, inter authority recoupment, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, educational psychology service, local authority functions in relation to child protection, therapies and other health related services, parent partnership, guidance and information, the monitoring of SEN provision and inclusion administration, assessment and co-ordination. Also included is the funding delegated to primary and secondary schools identified as notional SEN and the individual schools budget (ISB) for special schools.
	(8) The ISB for special schools will include some general education costs for pupils with SEN in addition to those costs specifically for SEN while the figures recorded against notional SEN are only indicative of the amount that might be spent by schools on SEN and, from 200405 onwards, notional SEN delegated to nursery schools was reported on Section 52 for the first time and this accounts for 2.7million and 3.3million of the 200405 and 200506 London totals respectively. In 200506, local authorities in London also budgeted 90million for SEN transport expenditure but this is not included in the above table as figures are not available prior to 200506.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are as reported by the LEA in cash terms as at 10 October 2005 and are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and may not sum due to rounding.
	2. 200506 data is provisional and is subject to change by the local authority.

Sure Start

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been allocated to Sure Start for (a) 200506 and (b) future financial years; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Funding allocated to Sure Start for 200506 was 1,140,000,000. Funding allocated to Sure Start is 1,696,000,000 for 200607 and 1,809,000,000 for 200708. Funding for 200809 and beyond is an issue for the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
	This funding represents a significant investment in support of the 10-Year Strategy and the Government's vision to ensure that every child gets the best start in life and to give parents more choice about how to balance work and family life. The increase in funding is substantial, showing a 59 per cent. increase in 200708 compared to 200506.

HEALTH

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in (a) Essex and (b) Bedford and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority on girls aged (i) 10, (ii) 11, (iii) 12, (iv) 13, (v) 14, (vi) 15, (vii) 16 and (viii) 17 years of age in each year since 1975; and how many were performed to save the life of the pregnant woman.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Legal abortions: total number of abortions, number of abortions performed to save the life of the pregnant womana for residents of England and Wales, and number of abortions by age under 20b, to residents of Essexc and Bedfordshire and Hertfordshired 19752004
		
			  England and Wales 
			   Total Sections 1(1)(c) and 1(4) 
		
		
			 1975 106,224 1,076 
			 1976 101,912 959 
			 1977 102,677 851 
			 1978 111,851 691 
			 1979 120,611 605 
			 1980 128,927 687 
			 1981 128,581 766 
			 1982 128,553 666 
			 1983 127,375 543 
			 1984 136,388 599 
			 1985 141,101 539 
			 1986 147,619 486 
			 1987 156,191 482 
			 1988 168,298 490 
			 1989 170,463 356 
			 1990 173,900 440 
			 1991 167,376 380 
			 1992 160,501 256 
			 1993 157,846 166 
			 1994 156,539 147 
			 1995 154,315 126 
			 1996 167,916 131 
			 1997 170,145 121 
			 1998 177,871 108 
			 1999 173,701 95 
			 2000 175,542 137 
			 2001 176,364 61 
			 2002 175,932 (0.5%) 117 
			 2003 181,582 (0.6%) 137 
			 2004 185,415 128 
		
	
	
		
			   Essexc 
			  Total 15 16 16 17 1619 
		
		
			 1975 (9)2,807 e 124 e e 616 
			 1976 2,666 e 113 e e 611 
			 1977 2,763 e 118 e e 627 
			 1978 2,954 e 118 e e 676 
			 1979 3,230 e 85 e e 783 
			 1980 3,366 e 102 e e 818 
			
			 1981 (10)n/a e n/a e e n/a 
			 1982 n/a e n/a e e n/a 
			
			 1983 (11)1,805 e 66 e e 444 
			 1984 1,997 e 77 e e 77 
			 1985 2,074 e 67 e e 67 
			 1986 1,879 e 51 e e 51 
			 1987 2,003 e 56 e e 507 
			 1988 2,462 e 53 e e 628 
			 1989 2,524 e 50 e e 630 
			 1990 2,447 e 53 e e 568 
			 1991 2,532 e 45 e e 501 
			 1992 2,386 e 47 e e 461 
			
			 1993 (12)4,260 e 85 e e 746 
			 1994 4,031 18 77 135 172 720 
			 1995 3,903 23 84 107 152 659 
			 1996 4,359 35 106 122 210 726 
			 1997 4,503 19 83 157 211 847 
			 1998 4,945 28 96 161 223 927 
			 1999 4,586 25 99 143 224 817 
			 2000 4,667 31 69 159 199 891 
			 2001 4,663 24 90 154 218 932 
			
			 2002 (13)4,626 23 87 139 247 908 
			 2003 4,772 34 91 149 224 936 
			 2004 4,897 24 97 140 243 968 
		
	
	
		
			   Bedfordshire and Hertfordshired 
			  Total 15 16 16 17 1619 
		
		
			 1975 (14)3,183 e 100 e e 719 
			 1976 2,962 e 101 e e 701 
			 1977 2,924 e 104 e e 732 
			 1978 3,486 e 83 e e 855 
			 1979 3,654 e 100 e e 919 
			 1980 3,902 e 117 e e 1,050 
			
			 1981 (15)3,851 e 104 e e 781 
			 1982 3,593 e 103 e e 948 
			 1983 3,677 e 118 e e 968 
			 1984 4,198 e 109 e e 1,129 
			 1985 4,253 e 102 e e 1,152 
			 1986 4,381 e 97 e e 1,079 
			 1987 4,361 e 102 e e 1,071 
			 1988 4,788 e 88 e e 1,160 
			 1989 4,858 e 89 e e 1,065 
			 1990 4,801 e 67 e e 1,484 
			 1991 4,623 e 83 e e 890 
			
			 1992 (16)4,102 e 64 e e 677 
			
			 1993 (17)4,301 e 79 e e 589 
			
			 1994 (9) 0 4,143 35 79 106 130 655 
			 1995 4,224 22 71 134 180 708 
			
			 1996 (9)(5508140010)4,581 17 74 41 191 810 
			 1997 4,907 21 82 122 254 906 
			 1998 5,012 25 84 134 248 945 
			 1999 5,255 25 103 135 225 939 
			 2000 4,995 23 93 139 219 949 
			
			 2001 (9)(5508140010)5,028 31 111 137 219 903 
			
			 2002 (9)(5508140010)5,045 23 82 160 218 876 
			 2003 5,466 32 98 149 224 932 
			 2004 5,203 28 100 145 206 922 
		
	
	a Section 1(1) (c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
	Section 1 (4) that the termination is immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.
	b Age groups shown are where totals are 10 or over and available.
	c There were boundary changes in Essex and comparable data in some years are not available.
	(9) Essex area health authority 19751980.
	(10) Comparative data for Essex not available 198182.
	(11) Includes district health authorities for Mid Essex, North East and West Essex from 1983 to 1992.
	(12) Includes health authorities for North Essex and South Essex from 1993 to 2001.
	(13) Essex strategic health authority. From 2002 includes primary care organisations for Basildon, Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford, Castle Point and Rochford, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon and South Chelmsford Southend-on-Sea, Tendring, Thurrock, Uttlesford, Witham, Braintree and Halstead.
	d There were boundary changes in Befordshire and Hertfordshire and comparable data in some years are not available.
	(14) Includes Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire area health authorities 19751980.
	(15) Includes district health authorities for Northern Bedfordshire, Southern Bedfordshire, North Hertfordshire, East Hertfordshire, North West Hertfordshire and South West Hertfordshire 198191.
	(16) Includes North Bedfordshire, South Bedfordshire, North West Hertfordshire, South West Hertfordshire district health authorities in 1992.
	(17) Includes North Bedfordshire, South Bedfordshire, North West Hertfordshire, South West Hertfordshire and East and North Hertfordshire district health authorities in 1993.
	(18)Includes Bedfordshire, North West Hertfordshire, South West Hertfordshire and East and North Hertfordshire district health authorities 199495.
	(19) Includes Bedfordshire, West Hertfordshire and East and North Hertfordshire Health Authorities 19962000.
	(20) Includes Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire health authorities in 2001.
	(21) Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire strategic health authority. From 2002 includes primary care organisations for Bedford, Bedfordshire Heartlands, Dacorum, Hertsmere, Luton, Northern Hertfordshire and Stevenage, Royston, Buntingford and Bishop's Stortford, South East Hertfordshire, St. Albans and Harpenden, Watford and Three Rivers, Welwyn Hatfield.
	e Not available.

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were carried out in (a) Essex and (b) Bedford and Hertfordshire strategic health authority at each week of gestation between 18 and 32 weeks in the last year for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Number of terminations by gestation 1822 weeks and over for residents of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and Essex strategic health authorities (SHAs), 2004
		
			  Weeks gestation Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA  Essex SHA 
		
		
			 18 37 33 
			 19 24 14 
			 20 20 24 
			 21 24 14 
			 22 and over 39 42 
		
	
	Note:
	Totals for gestations over 21 weeks are less than ten and therefore not available for release.

Avian Influenza

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is taking to prepare for a potential outbreak of avian influenza in the UK.

Caroline Flint: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised that there is a continuing and potentially growing threat that a human influenza pandemic could emerge from the avian influenza (bird flu) currently circulating in South East Asia. The WHO has recognised the United Kingdom as one of the countries with the most developed preparedness plans. We published the UK influenza pandemic contingency plan in March 2005. The plan is currently being revised in light of comments received and an updated version will be published soon. The national health service is putting in place plans to cope with a pandemic as part of general emergency preparedness planning. We have published operational guidance to help NHS planners in this task.
	When a pandemic starts, antiviral drugs will be the first line medical intervention. We have purchased 14.6 million courses, enough to treat the 25 per cent, of the UK population anticipated to be affected in a pandemic. The first of these deliveries was received in August and the stockpile will be complete by December 2006. Guidelines on local planning for the distribution of these drugs were published in mid-September 2005.
	A specific vaccine for pandemic flu will not start to be available until at least four to six months after the strain causing the pandemic has been identified. However, we are working closely with other countries, the WHO, the European Commission and manufacturers to ensure that a vaccine can be developed as quickly as possible once a pandemic flu strain emerges and to put arrangements in place to ensure production of vaccine for the UK population.

Avian Influenza

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the World Health Organisation regarding avian influenza.

Caroline Flint: As a member state of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Kingdom is a full and active participant in the work taken forward by the WHO on seasonal, pandemic and avian influenza. The UK cooperates not only on a global basis with the central coordination of the WHO, but also on a regional basis through WHO Euro.
	The UK strongly encourages the development and implementation of national contingency plans in line with advice from the WHO and works closely with them, as well as others such as the European Union (EU), to achieve this. UK preparedness plans have been informed by the material available from the WHO. During our presidency of the EU, the UK will be organising a joint WHO/EU presidency meeting on pandemic influenza preparedness in October.
	The Department is also working closely with the WHO and other countries to share information and plans for response. The UK was recently visited by representatives of WHO and the EU to discuss national contingency plans and we were commended on our level of preparedness.

Avian Influenza

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) Laos, (b) the People's Republic of China, (c) Indonesia, (d) Vietnam, (e) Cambodia and (f) Thailand on avian influenza.

Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom supports efforts to increase South East Asia's avian influenza pandemic preparedness through the coordination of international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the World Animal Health Organisation. These agencies, notably the WHO and FAO, have the lead role in the co-ordinating the international response and developing coherent plans to address the key issues in the region. The Department therefore works closely with the WHO, and through them other countries, to share information and plans for pandemic flu preparedness.
	Contact between the UK Government and these countries would generally be coordinated through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or the Department for International Development. Officials based in these countries are regularly in touch with WHO representatives and information is passed on to officials in the Department.

Avian Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what applications for financial support for research into the development of vaccines against the H5NI virus her Department has received; when they were received; what response her Department has made; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We have received two applications for research to develop vaccines against the H5 influenza virus, both from consortia of research workers coordinated by Professor Karl Nicholson from Leicester university.
	The first proposal, costing 416,746, was funded in 2000 and work started on 1 January 2001. This was work was scheduled to be completed by August 2004.
	The second proposal was an outline of plans for a large consortium of researchers to develop a library of vaccines using reverse genetic engineering. This preliminary proposal, estimated by the researchers to cost at least 4 million and take a minimum of five years, was received in March 2005.
	It would be inappropriate to commit such a large amount of public money unless we could be sure the research was of the highest quality and met the needs of the United Kingdom. We commissioned a group of independent experts to help develop a research strategy and this met in June this year. Members of the consortium who made the original bid have been involved in subsequent discussions and hence were aware of the action we have taken.
	We are committed to improving research in this area and are working closely with key stakeholders such as the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to develop a joined-up research strategy for the UK and to align this with research strategies in Europe and in other countries. The Department plans to make a call for proposals for specific research on pandemic flu vaccines in the near future. In addition, the MRC has arranged a meeting in early December to discuss a UK-wide strategy for fundamental research related to pandemic flu.

Blood Donation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will allocate further resources to encourage people in London to give blood.

Caroline Flint: The National Health Service Blood and Transplant Authority (NHSBT)l reports good stocks, which are sufficient to meet current demand. Prior to the establishment of NHSBT, the National Blood Service continually worked to maintain blood stocks through a range of marketing and communication techniques. NHSBT will continue to do so. No additional resources are required to recruit blood donors in London at present.
	1 From 1 October, the National Blood Service and UK Transplant were merged to form the new organisation NHSBT.
	The table shows red cell stocks as at 3 October 2005.
	
		
			  Total red cell stocks 
		
		
			 Number of validated units 52,240 
			 Equivalent number of days supply 8.20 
		
	
	In addition to NHSBT stocks, each hospital blood bank will keep an appropriate stock of blood.

Influenza

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the Chief Medical Officer's estimate is of the number of deaths in the UK likely to arise from an influenza pandemic;
	(2)  what number of deaths is assumed in the Government's contingency plan for pandemic influenza.

Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom influenza pandemic contingency plan, published in March 2005, states that 50,000 people or more will die from pandemic influenza. We based this figure upon evidence from seasonal flu and previous pandemics and it has been agreed by the Chief Medical Officer.
	Estimates of the number of people who could be affected are difficult to predict, as it depends on the viral strain of the pandemic. Current planning assumptions, based on advice from the World Health Organization, suggest that a pandemic could affect a quarter of the UK population, and estimates of the number of deaths range from around 50,000 upwards. However, the plan recognises that the figures could be significantly higher.

Mifepristone

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths have been associated with mifepristone (Mifeprex) in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: None.

Pesticides

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to respond to the recent report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Protection's investigation into the impact of pesticides.

Caroline Flint: We shall be contributing to the Government response, which is being co-ordinated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Government is committed to respond to the report within a year of publication.

Smoking

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of children and teenagers who smoke.

Caroline Flint: The Government has a comprehensive strategy in place to tackle smoking, which focuses on action to discourage young people from ever starting, and help for all smokers, of whatever age, to quit. We are aiming to create a climate where non-smoking is the norm, so there is less incentive for young people to take up the habit.
	We have banned almost all tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion, which has removed the attractive glossy advertisements used to entice young people to try the product. Our highly effective national anti-smoking education campaign is designed to reach people of all ages including young people. Young people who wish to give up smoking can get help from the national health service stop smoking services. In our White Paper, Choosing Health, we set out proposals to bring in new measures to combat underage sales of tobacco products, and increased enforcement of existing regulations. We will reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and through a staged approach make almost all enclosed public places and workplaces smoke-free. We will hold a consultation later in the year on mandatory picture warnings on tobacco products.
	Together this strategy has helped reduce smoking rates in young people aged 11 to 15 years from 13 per cent. in 1996 to 9 per cent. in 2004.

Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what special assistance was provided by the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority to each of the trusts within the area in (a) 200202, (b) 200304, (c) 200405 and (d) the current financial year.

Caroline Flint: Information about special assistance from the NHS Bank to Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for 200203 to 200405 is shown in table 1. Special assistance has not been provided for 200506.
	Surrey and Sussex SHA has provided information about the distribution of the money to trusts within the area. This information is shown in table 2.
	
		Table 1: NHS Bank special assistance provided to Surrey and Sussex SHA for 200205
		
			  Amount ( million) 
		
		
			 200203 30 
			 200304 40 
			 200405 20 
			 200506 0 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Distribution of NHS Bank special assistance to trusts within the area as provided by Surrey and Sussex SHA -- 000
		
			  200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 National health service trusts
			 Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 9,500 18,650 13,000 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 4,000 3,500  
			 Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 3,000 2,700  
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 2,000 7,250 7,000 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 1,500   
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 7,500 5,900  
			 
			 Primary care trusts (PCTs)
			 Crawley PCT 688   
			 East Surrey PCT 487   
			 Horsham and Chactonbury PCT 575   
			 Western Sussex PCT 750   
			 Guildford and Waverley PCT  2,000  
			 Total 30,000 40,000 20,000 
		
	
	Note:
	Special assistance is understood to mean NHS Bank support. No special assistance has been provided to Surrey and Sussex SHA for 200506.

Timber

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to fund the maintenance of the central point of expertise on timber.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Environment (Mr. Morley) to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 160W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Living Allowance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of under-16s who applied for disability living allowance in each year since 2002 were successful; and what percentage of successful claimants received (a) mobility allowance and (b) care allowance.

Anne McGuire: Not all the requested information is available, because data on the number of claims received for disability living allowance are not broken down by age. The information that is available is in the table.
	
		Number of new awards of disability living allowance (DLA) made to children under 16 years of age in the 12 months ending on 28 February in each of years from 2002 to 2005; and the percentage of those awards in which (a) a mobility component and (b) a care component was awarded
		
			  Total number of new awards(23) of DLA to children under 16 years of age (a) Percentage awarded a mobility component(24) (b) Percentage awarded a care component(24) 
		
		
			 2002 43,100 40.8 96.5 
			 2003 43,800 43.7 95.9 
			 2004 43,500 46.2 93.7 
			 2005 42,500 46.0 95.9 
		
	
	(23) New awards are successful awards resulting from claims for DLA from or on behalf of children not previously in receipt of the benefit and relate to first awards made as a result of initial claims, reviews or appeals. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	(24) The figures for mobility component awards and care component awards include cases in which both components are awarded.
	Source:
	DWP Information Division, 5 per cent. samples.

Disability Living Allowance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time taken to process new claims for disability living allowance for under-16s was in each year since 2002, broken down by region.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not available because data for clearance times for claims for disability living allowance are not broken down by age.

Freedom of Information

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests have been answered by the Department; and in how many cases (a) information was wholly exempted, (b) information was partly exempted and (c) the requests were answered in full.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Constitutional Affairs, on 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2248W.

Hospital Benefits

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Chancellor's Budget proposals for paying benefits to those in hospital are being implemented.

Stephen Timms: Yes. We intend to lay regulations shortly to abolish the 52-week hospital down-rating rule, from April 2006.

Pensions Caseworkers

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what pay arrangements the Pensions Ombudsman operates for caseworkers; and whether there is an arrangement by which a caseworker's remuneration is varied according to the number of complaints which are concluded.

Stephen Timms: Pay arrangements for staff engaged on casework duties reflect the remuneration received by Higher Executive Officers, Senior Executive Officers and Grade 7 civil servants working in the Department for Work and Pensions. They incorporate a limited performance-related element. This takes account of the number of complaints that are concluded as well as the quality of the casework involved.

Winter Fuel Payments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will raise winter fuel payments in line with recent energy price increases.

Stephen Timms: We have no plans to do so. The payment has risen from 20 in winter 199798 to 200 from winter 200001. It is a significant contribution towards fuel costs.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Commercial Court

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the quality of the Commercial Court building on the use of English choice of law clauses in international commerce.

Harriet Harman: As part of the development of the business case, an analysis is being undertaken to assess the potential risk of losing Commercial Court business to other jurisdictions. This will be a reason of the justification for providing improved facilities for Commercial Court work and to maintaining its high international reputation.

Commercial Court

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress in renovating the Commercial Court.

Harriet Harman: No decision or action is being, or can be, taken with regard to the renovation of the Commercial Court until the business case has been developed and analysed.

Commercial Court

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to move the Commercial Court to a different building.

Harriet Harman: My Department is working with Her Majesty's Courts Service to finalise investment plans which will set out what new court building projects and major refurbishments will be taken forward. The improvement of the accommodation for the Commercial Court features in these plans and has been identified as a priority project within the HMCS Estate strategy.

Correspondence

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the process followed by her Department in responding to correspondence is; and if she will place a copy of the internal departmental guidance on handling correspondence in the Library.

Bridget Prentice: The guidance issued to staff about how to draft answers to letters from MPs/Peers to the Department is available through my Departments FOI Publication Scheme. The same standard applies to correspondence from members of the public. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Criminal Courts

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether judges have been required to give a fuller introduction to juries since the Lord Justice Auld review on criminal courts.

Harriet Harman: Guidance to trial judges is issued by the Judicial Studies Board in the form of specimen directions and by the Lord Chief Justice in the form of Practice Directions. No specific guidance has been issued to judges on this matter as a result of the recommendations of the Auld review. However, the Judicial Studies Board is reviewing the specimen direction for juries in light of a recent Court of Appeal judgement (R v. Karakaya).

Freedom of Information Act

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what definition of recorded information for the purposes of providing information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is used by the Government.

Harriet Harman: For the purposes of providing information under the Freedom of Information Act, recorded Information is information recorded in any form. This includes information that is held electronically such as on a laptop or electronic records management system; information recorded on paper such as a letter, memorandum or papers in a file; and sound and video recordings including CD or video tape.
	The definition of recorded information can be found in the Department for Constitutional Affairs procedural guidance at www.foi.gov.uk

Freedom of Information Act

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of improvements achieved by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 over the former Code of Practice on access to Government information.

Harriet Harman: The Code of Practice applied only to central Government, the Freedom of Information Act applies to over 100,000 public authorities right across the public sector.
	The Act also requires public authorities to prepare and maintain publication schemes which must be accredited by the Information Commissioner. These schemes set out the information which the public authority makes available as a matter of course, and thus to maintain accreditation, public authorities are required to publish information proactively.
	The Freedom of Information Act provides a statutory right of access to official information, matched by a statutory enforcement mechanism. The FOI Act allows those requesting information to appeal to the independent Information Commissioner, while the Code required complaints to be made through an MP submitting a complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The Information Commissioner is independent of government, and has powers to require public authorities to release information.
	The implementation of FOI has resulted in more requests for information than were made under the Code, and far more information being released. Since 1 January, central Government has released more than 10,000 pieces of information in response to FOI requests.

Freedom of Information Act

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether it is Government policy that (a) regional development agencies, (b) regional chambers, (c) the Local Government Association, (d) the Greater London Authority, (e) the English Regions Network, (f) regional housing boards, (g) regional transport boards, (h) the Lyons Inquiry into Local Government Funding, (i) parish councils and (j) the Association of London Government fall under freedom of information legislation.

Harriet Harman: Regional development agencies, the Greater London Authority, parish councils and the Association of London Government are currently covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Information relating to regional housing boards is held by their secretariat, the Government Offices for the regions, who are covered by the Act.
	Regional chambers, the Local Government Association, regional transport boards, the English Regions Network and the Lyons Inquiry into Local Government Funding are not covered by the Act. Where there are member organisations that are public authorities, such as local authorities, the information they hold is covered by the Act.
	The organisations set out that are not covered by the Act do not meet the current coverage criteria specified in sections 4 and 6 of the Act. However, under section 5 of the Freedom of Information Act, the Secretary of State can bring under the Act an organisation that appears to him to have functions of a public nature. No organisation has yet been covered by the Act in this way. The coverage of the Act is kept under review.

Freedom of Information Act

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance the Department has produced on the status of non-judicial inquiries established by the Government under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Harriet Harman: The Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not establish non-judicial inquiries.
	The Explanatory Notes to the Inquiries Act make clear the inter-relationship between Freedom of Information and inquires established under the Inquiries Act.
	During the course of an inquiry held under the Inquiries Act, that inquiry is not a public authority and therefore not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. However, once an inquiry has been completed, its records are generally held by a public authority, such as a Government Department or the National Archives and become subject to the Act.

Jury Service

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of people were eligible for jury service in (a) each region and (b) each London borough in each of the last four years.

Harriet Harman: The information requested is not held centrally. Everyone aged 18 to 70 years on the electoral register is potentially eligible for jury service. Actual eligibility is dependant on personal circumstances.

Law Society

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the performance of the Law Society in meeting her target for the satisfactory handling of complaints, as determined by the Legal Services Complaints Commission, in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005 to date; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Complaints Commissioner (LSCC) was appointed in February 2004 to work with the Law Society to improve complaints handling. In September 2004 the LSCC set targets for the Law Society's performance for 20052006. The Law Society began formally reporting against those targets in April 2005.
	The Government is encouraged by the progress that the Law Society is making, as evidenced by its performance against the LSCC's targets for the first quarter. Nevertheless, the Government looks forward to continued improvement.
	The following table shows the Law Society's complaints handling performance in timeliness, customer satisfaction and quality of decisions against the LSCC targets. These figures are for the first quarter of 200506 (April to June 2005).
	
		Percentage
		
			  April 2005 to June 2005  LSCC target 
		
		
			 Cases cleared within:   
			 3 months 53 53 
			 6 months 74 75 
			 9 months 83 85 
			 12 months 89 92 
			 18 months 94 98 
			
			 Customer satisfaction 60 (25)68 
			
			 Quality of decision 62 (25)70 
		
	
	(25) The customer satisfaction and quality of decision targets have tolerance bands of 6568 per cent. and 6570 per cent. respectively. If the Society's performance falls within the tolerance bands, but below the target, they will not receive a penalty fine.
	Note:
	These figures are taken from the Website of the Office of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner.
	
		Percentage
		
			  April 2004 to March 2005 DCA target 
		
		
			 Cases cleared within:   
			 3 months 51 60 
			 6 months 72 75 
			 9 months n/a (26) 
			 12 months 88 85 
			 18 months 94 97 
			
			 Customer satisfaction 61 (26) 
			
			 Quality of decision 62 75 
		
	
	(26) No target.
	Note:
	These figures are taken from the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner's Annual Report 200405.

Prisoners' Voting Rights

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what response he plans to make to the European Court of Human Rights ruling that denying prisoners the vote is a breach of their human rights; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Government is giving urgent consideration to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Hirst v. The United Kingdom and will bring forward proposals in due course.

Prisoners' Voting Rights

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many remand prisoners were eligible to vote in each of the last three general elections; and how many exercised their right to vote in each.

Harriet Harman: The information sought is not available. The Representation of the People Act 2000 made it possible for prisoners on remand, who are otherwise eligible to vote, to register to vote from their place of detention. HM Prison Service records the total number of remand prisoners though no separate record is kept of those remand prisoners who are eligible to vote. Records are not kept of whether particular categories of voters have exercised their right to vote at UK elections.

Unsafe Gravestones

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many cases of death or injury caused by unsafe gravestones were recorded in each of the last three years.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave on 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 182W.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Child Protection Services

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what governance arrangements for child protection services are in place between trusts, boards and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety provides legislation, policy and procedural guidance to enable boards and trusts to safeguard children and promote their welfare. The Department is responsible for ensuring that boards and trusts have established satisfactory arrangements for the discharge of all child protection functions under the Children (NI) Order 1995 and other relevant legislation and guidance. The Department ensures this through a range of accountability, reporting and monitoring mechanisms.
	Boards are responsible for planning to meet child protection needs within their areas through the Children's Services planning process and for commissioning from trusts the full range of child protection services. Each Board has an Area Child Protection Committee overseeing child protection arrangements throughout the board area. Each board is responsible for ensuring that trusts have proper arrangements in place to fulfil all relevant child protection functions under the Children Order, which the Board has delegated to them. Boards have the authority to monitor, evaluate and inspect services directly and to require Trusts to provide them with information on any matter related to the discharge of relevant child protection functions.
	Trusts are responsible in law for the discharge of all relevant child protection functions delegated to them by boards. They are accountable to boards and through them to the Department for ensuring that child protection services are provided in accordance with the arrangements set out in the boards' schemes for delegation of statutory functions and to any standards prescribed under the authority of the schemes.

Dementia

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the implications are for dementia sufferers in Northern Ireland of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommendation that certain dementia medications should no longer be available through the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is reviewing its 2001 appraisal of medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. As part of this review, the Institute has produced, and consulted on, draft preliminary recommendations that the drugs donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and memantine should not be routinely used in treating new patients in the NHS. Following consultation, the institute has deferred publication of its final guidance on these drugs until early next year.
	The Department will consider what action is appropriate for Northern Ireland in light of the institute's final guidance on the dementia drugs;

Dementia

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what clinical guidance on dementia medications has been provided by the clinical resource efficiency support team.

Shaun Woodward: The clinical resource and efficiency support team (CREST) produced interim guidance on new drugs for dementia in February 1998. This guidance covered the drug donepezil, and is available on the CREST website. CREST has issued a letter indicating that the guidance should also apply to the drug rivastigmine.
	CREST is reviewing its interim guidance on these drugs and is extending its new guidance to cover all licensed drugs for dementia.

Education and Library Boards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the obligations are on the Chief Accounting Officer to act in the event of an Education and Library Board acting outside its agreed financial scheme.

Angela Smith: The NDPB Accounting Officer Memorandum in Government Accounting Northern Ireland (GANI) makes clear that, where the Board or Chairperson of any non-departmental public body, including an Education and Library Board, is contemplating a course of action which the Chief Executive as the main Accounting Officer considers would infringe the requirements of propriety or regularity, including the requirement to deliver services within the budget allocated by the Department and voted by Parliament, he/she should set out in writing his/her objection to the proposal; the reasons for this objection and his/her duty to notify the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) should his/her advice be overruled. If the Board decides nonetheless to proceed, the Accounting Officer should seek a written instruction from the Board to take the action in question. He/she should also inform the departmental Accounting Officer of the position, if possible, before the Board takes its decision so that the Department can intervene with the Board. If the outcome is that the Chief Executive is overruled, the Board's instruction should be communicated without undue delay to the Board's external auditors and CAG.

Education and Library Boards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what circumstances a chief accounting officer would be obliged to inform the (a) Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education, (b) Comptroller and Auditor General and (c) Northern Ireland Audit Office that an Education and Library Board has acted outside its financial scheme.

Angela Smith: The NDPB Accounting Officer Memorandum in Government Accounting Northern Ireland (GANI) makes clear that, where the Board or Chairperson of a non-departmental public body is contemplating a course of action which the Chief Executive as the main Accounting Officer considers would infringe the requirements of propriety and regularity, including the requirement for public bodies to live within the financial allocations voted by Parliament, approved by the Department, the designated Accounting Officer must inform the departmental Accounting Officer, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO).

Enzyme Disorders

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what services are available for children in the Province who suffer from enzyme disorders.

Shaun Woodward: Enzyme deficiency disorders result in a very wide spectrum of clinical consequences depending on the enzyme involved. Most of these disorders are rare and can be grouped under the heading of inherited metabolic disorders. There is a well established weekly clinic at the Royal Belfast hospital for sick children which cares for children with a wide variety of inherited metabolic disorders from all over Northern Ireland.

Equal Opportunities

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the findings of recent research into equality of opportunity in the Northern Ireland labour market to be published.

Angela Smith: It is intended to publish the findings of the labour market dynamics research project in November 2005.

Inquests

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many inquests are outstanding in Northern Ireland; and how many have been waiting more than (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) five years since the death occurred.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Each year in Northern Ireland approximately 3,600 deaths are reported to a coroner, of which approximately 7 per cent. result in an inquest.
	At the end of September 2005 there were 142 cases outstanding in which a coroner had directed that an inquest will be held but where the inquest had yet to be completed. Of these cases:
	17 cases have been waiting less than one year since the date of death;
	39 cases have been waiting between one year and two years;
	17 cases have been waiting between two years and three years;
	nine cases have been waiting between three years and four years;
	17 cases have been waiting between four years and five years; and
	43 cases have been waiting more than five years.
	There are, in addition, approximately 1,600 cases pending investigation, a number of which may involve an inquest but where the coroner has yet to direct whether an inquest will be held. The decision to hold an inquest is, in most categories of death, a judicial decision exercised by the coroner following an investigation including, in some cases, a post-mortem report.

Interpreting Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from what budget funding for interpreting services at hospitals in the Province comes.

Shaun Woodward: Interpreting services were initially funded largely from executive programme funds. This funding ceased on 31 March 2005 and since then they have been funded from the totality of resources made available to my Department for the provision of health and social services.

Interpreting Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what actions he is taking to ensure appropriate monitoring and evaluation of interpreting services at local hospitals.

Shaun Woodward: The Department has in place arrangements with trusts for monitoring the use of and demand for health and personal social services (HPSS) interpreting services including information on gaps in supply. The Department has also carried out an evaluation of a pilot project to set up an interpreting service for the HPSS. Taking account of the evaluation findings, the Department is now considering options for future arrangements for procuring interpreting services for the HPSS, including arrangements for monitoring and evaluating how well the interpreting services meet the growing and evolving need.

Medical Notes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines exist in Northern Ireland on the period of time that medical notes must be retained.

Shaun Woodward: In December 2004 the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety issued guidelines entitled Good Management, Good Records for managing records in Health and Personal Social Services organisations in Northern Ireland. Various time periods are specified for different types of records.

Nurses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of nurses who have left Northern Ireland to work in (a) North America, (b) Australia and (c) New Zealand in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: During the year ended 31 March 2005 a total of 893 Nursing and Midwifery staff left the Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS). This figure will include retirements and those who have left the NI HPSS, to join the NHS in England, Scotland or Wales. Information on the actual destination of leavers is not collected.

Private Health Care

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what inspections of private health care facilities take place in the Province.

Shaun Woodward: Independent hospitals, clinics and medical agencies have been subject to registration and inspection by the Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services Regulation and Improvement Authority since 1 April 2005.

School Bus Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received on providing an early afternoon bus service for school children in the Southern Board area.

Angela Smith: There have been a total of 78 representations from the following sources concerning the withdrawal of the early afternoon school transport service:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Members of the public 63 
			 School representatives 3 
			 Members of Parliament 2 
			 MLAs 6 
			 District councils 3 
			 Southern Board 1 
			 Total 78 
		
	
	This is a discretionary service which was provided by the Southern Education and Library Board. The Board reviewed its discretionary provision and, being the only Board to provide a full early afternoon service, it decided to reflect the same level of service availability in other Board areas.